Patent stockpiling at heart of antitrust lawsuit

Businesses in North Carolina that hold patents, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property know how important these assets can be to their company’s value and strength in the marketplace. Being granted a patent, copyright or trademark is an achievement for any business but simply receiving these assets is only one thing they need to focus on. Every company must carefully monitor and defend their intellectual property assets.

Two of the world’s biggest technology brands have recently collaborated on a joint lawsuit against an investment group. The lawsuit centers around patent practices. According to a report made by CNBC, Apple and Intel together are alleging that the investment group amassed and held onto patents as a means of coercing big payouts from the tech giants in outstanding lawsuits.

Apple specifically has been involved in multiple lawsuits related to alleged patent infringements or violations with the financial company. One such lawsuit involves the investor group asserting that Apple violated a specific patent in the design and manufacture of devices that used health trackers that count a person’s steps and record other health data.

The investment group was said to be demanding a sizeable amount of money from Apple as a settlement to the alleged patent infringement. Together, Intel and Apple are asserting that the unfair patent practices of the investor group have negative implications for their respective businesses and represent an antitrust violation matter. The joint lawsuit was just filed in late November. It is not known if the defendant company has yet responded to the suit nor what the response may have been in the case.